


3.56 AM

by DeadToTheWorld



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Depressed Sans (Undertale), Gen, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Post-Undertale Neutral Route, Sans (Undertale) Needs a Hug, Undertale Neutral Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 13:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30039687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadToTheWorld/pseuds/DeadToTheWorld
Summary: A post-neutral route one-shot, in which Papyrus had been killed by Frisk. Sans' mind struggles to deal with the aftermath.
Kudos: 8





	3.56 AM

The ceiling was alive with a blurred mosaic of shadows from the golden lamp-light and moving branches outside.

Sans didn't bother closing the blinds anymore. It took too much effort to open them again. So he stayed awake, and at the very least, _tried_ to be distracted by the illumination.  
The hours drove on through the night, and Sans pretended that the brightness was the reason he couldn't sleep. 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 

"Brother, I wish you would actually meet the word count for monthly reports." 

"Undyne isn't counting every word to check." 

"It's noticeable!" 

Papyrus scowled at the crumpled pieces of paper and the scribbled paragraphs. He couldn't make head nor tail of it, but considering the words he COULD make out, it seemed that his lazy brother did not intend to write in any formal manner. 

The tall skeleton glared at the paper in his hand. It wasn't even stapled. HIS report, exactly the correct number of words (he'd counted twice), typed out on pristine white paper and neatly folded, made Sans' look even worse. 

"I'm going to have to rewrite this for you, since you can't seem to do it yourself." 

"Bro, she's got like - what? A hundred other reports to read? And half of them are worse than mine. You think that massive dog doesn't just slobber all over a notepad and call it done?" 

"Ugh!" 

Sans couldn't help but grin wider as Papyrus threw his hands to the heavens. He had to admit, winding up his brother was fun. Even it he felt a little guilty. But Papyrus LIKED doing things correctly; tidying, fixing stuff, making lists. So when Sans messed up, it's like he's doing him a favour. Giving Papyrus an opportunity to do his favourite thing. Right? 

...Right. That's what he tells himself, anyway. 

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 

Although he himself wasn't , Sans' body was tired. And despite valiant efforts, constantly stopping himself from dropping off the edge, eventually exhaustion won over and his mind finally fell into the peaceful abyss.

_There was blood. Blood everywhere. Sans found himself standing in the hallway._

_A fresh trail lead to the door. Papyrus's door. Skeletal hand prints were smeared on the frame. Crusty brown patches dried on the carpet.  
Sans stared at the scene before him, eye sockets wide and body rattling. What the fuck happened? What the fuck happened? _

_"Sssaaaaa...."  
A weak voice called out from behind the door. His entire body felt ice cold, he felt adrenaline, he felt like fainting. His mind raced desperately without actually thinking, just feeling. No words could possibly be formed in his mind. _

_He watched as small drops of blood slid slowly down the wall from the ceiling. The door was turning red. Sans tried to step backward, but he heard a squelch. He looked down. The carpet was moist with a fresh and impossible amount of blood. Screaming, he tried to walk backwards again. The squelching wouldn't stop, he couldn't get away from that awful, awful sound. He cried out pathetically and tripped on his own feet, falling backwards onto the floor. Pain. Pain pain pain and the squelch of the carpet and the red staining his clothes-_

_Click. Sans couldn't breathe as he heard the long, droning squeak of the door slowly opening. It made him shiver like hearing nails on a chalkboard. But it was nothing compared to what he saw next._

_"...Sssaansss...," the creature wailed, louder this time. It stood unstable on its feet, wobbling around like a puppet on a string. And like a puppet, the figure moved torso first, being pulled by an invisible force as the long dangly legs sludged forward reluctantly. This 'Papyrus', this false brother, it wasn't real, he kept telling himself. It's not REAL its not real itsnot realitsnotrealitsnot_

_A large thin hand grabbed his shoulder. He screamed._

_"SANS."  
_

Eyes open. White ceiling. He was very cold. Not again, please, please oh my god I can't deal with this anymore. Sans was panting heavily as he pleaded. "Plead with who? Your brain? Your brain enjoys this. Why else would it keep doing it?" 

The air was crisp and freezing. Recently, he was more susceptible to the temperature, like non-skeletal monsters. Who knows why. He missed the days when it never bothered him, the snow. He'd even sleep in it, but now of course, sleeping bothers him too. How could he hate two things so fiercely that he used to love? 

Although nightmares were awful, Sans had to admit that the moments after waking up were somehow worse. His drowsy mind couldn't fully distinguish between reality and dreams just yet. Although logic was there, desperately insisting, he couldn't help but feel that something was... present. Feeling very very not brave, Sans jumped up before his mind could stop him and ran for the light switch. But he was alone, as was suspected and hoped. There was nothing he wouldn't do to put his mind at ease, go back to bed and sleep peacefully, if it meant that he didn't have to open his door and.. check. But he DID have to. He felt ill from the pool of dread in his metaphorical stomach. 

The door was opened quickly. The last thing he wanted was to recreate that awful slow sound of the hinges. As expected, the hallway was completely empty. Dark and full of shadows, but it was no match for the skeleton's enhanced eyesight. No blood either. No squelching. No Papyrus.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in way too long, I really need to get back into it. Sorry!


End file.
